Taiwanese airlines reroute Europe flights over Russia after Pakistan airspace ban

China Airlines and Eva Air began rerouting flights over the weekend, and ADS-B flight tracking data showed neither had flown over Pakistan since the morning of October 25, 2026. At least a dozen of their Asia-Europe flights have since traveled over Russia. Both airlines declined to comment, and Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration did not comment on the rerouting but said it has never banned Taiwanese carriers from flying over Russia.

Pakistan's restrictions are stricter than mainland China's, which still allows Taiwanese airlines to fly over its territory. Beijing considers the self-ruled island its own territory and objects to other countries maintaining contact with Taipei. Pakistan severed official relations with Taiwan in 1951 in favor of closer ties with China.

The reason behind Pakistan's decision remains unclear. Taiwanese airlines were never formally banned from Russian airspace but have avoided it since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, in line with most Asian, European and North American carriers. The detour adds hours to Asia-Europe flights and raises fuel costs. Besides Russia, China Airlines and Eva Air are also routing aircraft over other parts of South Asia and the Middle East, extending flight times further.